Power transmitting mechanism



April 26, 1938. D. R. SCHOLES 1 2,115,286

POWER TRANSMITTING MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 29, 1933 Ina/enter 3 Tami/Q5 .fiakgfes,

Patented Apr. 26, 1938 PATENT OFFIQE POWER TRANSMITTING MECHANISM Daniel R. Scholes, Oak Park, 111., assignor to Aermctor Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 1 Original application December 29, 1933, Serial No. 704,428. Divided and this application April 12, 1935, Serial No. 15,996

11 Claims.

This invention relates to power transmitting mechanism and more particularly to such mechanism for transmitting power in windmill construction. This application is a division of my application Serial No. 704,428, filed December 29,

One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved mechanism for transmitting power and is shown as applied for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion.

A further object is to provide in windmill construction an improved main frame with a bored bearing socket, together with improved means for rotatably mounting driving pinions therein.

A still further object is to provide in windmill construction pinions with hubs forming journals.

A further object is to provide in windmill construction gears having enlarged teeth at predetermined spaced points around the circumference of the gears, whereby the enlarged teeth will come into contact with pinion teeth'at the points of reversal of pressure on the pump rod to prevent backlash.

Another object is to provide in windmill construction pinions having accurately formed teeth and driven gears with teeth not so accurately formed but having enlarged teeth at the points of reversal of pressure to prevent backlash at such points.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities will later more fully appear.

My invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing, and while I have illustrated therein preferred embodiments it is to be understood that the same are susceptible oi modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on a vertical plane passing through the axis of the windmill shaft, parts being shown in elevation and parts being broken away for convenience.

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section and partly in elevation of a windmill hood or helmet and mechanism therein.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the driving pinions and associated gears, and showing in solid lines certain teeth of the gears, said teeth being spaced predetermined distances and enlarged to prevent backlash at the points of reversal of pressure on the pump rod, the other teeth of the gears and pinions being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of the teeth of the driving pinion having interv meshed therewith the enlarged teeth of the asso- 5 ciated gears. e

Referring in detail to the drawing and describing the invention for use in connection with .a windmill, the mill proper, as will be understood, is operatively mounted at the top of the windmill tower. Mounted at the top of the tower is the .pipe 2, upon which is rotatably mounted the driving mechanism and the wind wheel (not shown). The driving mechanism is 'operatively mounted within the casing 4 and hood or helmet 5. Casing 4 houses the gearing mechanism shown more in detail in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and extending laterally from this gear casing 4 is the hollow laterally extending member l2, in which is fixedly mounted the metallic tubular member i3 having in its right-hand end the oil seal bearing l4 formed of Babbitt metal or other suitable bearing material. This tubular member I? is described more in detail in ,my copending parent application Serial No. 704,428 referred to hereinabove. The right-hand edge of oil seal bearing M is vertical, while the left-hand edge is formed-on an inclination, just to the left of which is the opening ll which is formed in the side of the hollow tubular member I3 at a predetermined height to determine the oil level in the tubular member iii.

The wind wheel shaft 20 is rotatably mounted in bearing I4, and another bearing (not shown) in the outer left-hand end of tubular member is, the right-hand end of this shaft 20 extending into the gear casing 4 in a suitable bearing in that portion 2! of the main frame positioned within the gear casing, the portion 2i of the main frame being formed with the tubular por- 1 tion 22 which is bored to receive the bearing 23 of Babbitt metal or other suitable material, in which bearing 23 are rotatably mounted the inwardly extending hubs 24 and 25 of the driving pinions 26 and 21, which pinions are keyed by key K to shaft 20.

Meshing with driving pinions 26 and 2"! are the driving gears 28 and 29, respectively, each of which driving gears is provided with a crank boss for rotatably connecting the lower end of the pitmans 30 and 3| to the driving gears, there being on the outer face of each of these driving gears 28 and 29 two of these crank bosses positioned at different distances from the axis of the driving gears 28 and 29, in order that the throw 55 head reaches the lower limit of its? travel the of thepitmans maybe changed as desired to cf feet a greater'or less reciprocation of the crosshead 32, with which cross-head the upper end of each of the'pitmans 38'and 3l is connected. 1 Fixed in the main frame arethe stationary guide rods 33 and 34 (which are preferably formed from one piece of metal), in which'guide rodsis guided for longitudinal reciprocation the,

. anti-friction wheel 35, which'is rotatably mounted Onthe'shaft .36 of the cross-head, 32. ably. secured to the lower end 3lsofflcross-head 32 is the pump rod H, which is connected to the -pump pole .(not shown) for-imparting a. vertical reciprocation thereto. the pump pole isat its lower end secured in any desired. manner to a pump mechanism to beop: erated by the windmill. V Q

' Loosely mounted on'shaft but fixedagainst rotation with'relation to tubular member i3, is

the oil delivering disk or'plate 38, .one face of which bears loosely against the left-h'andjface of 'pinion 2,1,- the disk or plate 38'being formed with a'cutaway portion "39', the edges fof which.

collect oil carried upwardly by'the teeth of gear wheel 29 from theoil rbath in the bottoml fl of the gear casing 4, andjwhich oilis transferred from said teeth tothe pinion 2 1. This oil which 31s carried up by the teeth of gear'wheel 29 and wiped from the 'face of pinion 21 by the edges of "opening 39 in the oilconveyingdisk 38 and a other parts of the 'disk is conveyed through trough 4| and down lip" 42 v through the slot l6 in'thetop of tubularmember l3. and down into theinterior of this tubular member. a When the oil conveyed into; the inside of tubular1member l3 reaches a suilicient height it 'will flowthrough opening ll andback'into, the oil bath in gear casing 4, as described in my said copending appli he cationSerial No, 704,428. l .40

From the above it will be seen that the bearings of the driving pinions 26 and'2'l, as well as' the'bearings of gears 28 and29 andthe bearings of the crank bosses at the'lower ends of the 'pitmans 30 and 3!, and anyother parts needing lubrication within the gear casing, will be thoroughly lubricated, and oil will be fed into tubular member l3 by'disk or plate 38 described above.

. This oil inside of the tubular member|3 will flow to the bearings in tubular member l3, as described in my copending application Serial No. 704,428 referredto above,

' When the cross-head 32 reaches the upper limit of its travel,the lower end of the pitmans 30 and 3| will pass through the'upper dead center of driving gears '28 and 29, and. when the crosslower end of pitmans 30 and 3! will pass through the lower dead center. of "these driving gears- These dead centers, as will. be understood, are

thosepositionsof the pivotal center of the crank bosses to which the lower end-of the pitmans are connected when this ,pivotal center falls on a line passing through the longitudinal axis of the pitrnans and the center of rotation of the driving 7 gear. If any backlash is present between the V teeth'of the driving gearsand driving pinions there 'will be shock and noise when said crank bosses are passing through the dead center positions. In order to eliminate this shockand noise the driving 'pinions'26 and2lare'machined or otherwise formed to have accurate teeth, and those portions of the teeth of the driving gears 28 and 29which are in'mesh with the teeth of the driving pinions at the time the crank bosses are passing through the upper and lower dead.

As will be understood,-

of clearness.

center positions are made thicker so as to entirely eliminate any backlash at these dead cenf ter positions. These thickened portions are shown in Fig. 4 at 19 and 8B, the latter being in mesh with the driving pinions when the crank bosses are passing'through the upper dead center f of the driving gears, and the teeth'19 being in mesh with the teeth of the driving pinions when these crank bosses are passing through the lower dead center position. 7

Fig. ,4 shows the lower end of the pitmans as connectedto the outer crank boss, that is, the

one farthest away fromthe center of rotationof driving gears128 andj29. An additional pair of crank bosses g positioned closer to the center of l5 rotation of gears 28 and 29 are provided so that e i 'j thelower end of thev pitmans can be connected therewith when it is desired to shorten the stroke" of the cross-head. same relation between the enlarged teeth 19 and In order to maintain this 8 0 and the teeth ofthedriving pinions 26 and2'l, regardless of which set of crank bosses the lower end of the pitmans are connected with, the crank boss can each gear 28 and 29 is'positioned on the same diameter as the crank boss that is'farthest; away fromthe gear center. Also thethickened teeth 19 andare so positioned on'gearsf28 and 29 that a diameter of said gears will pass of-the pitmans are passingthrough at the dead 1 80fare i center position. This prevents shock and noise at these positions of reversal of movement of the cross-head, and'results'in a much smoother;

, and quieter operating mechanism.

In Fig. 4 the enlarged teeth l9 an d shown in solid. lines, while the remaining teeth of the gear 28 (the construction of ge ar29 being the same) are shown in dotted lines for the sake passing through the centersof the two crank bosses of each gear and the center of the gear wheel '28 showninFig. 4 '(the same applying to these parts, onge'ar 29). 'In other words, the

Fig. 5 shows the enlarged teeth .80 in meshwith the teethof the driving pinions and 'shows the elimination of backlash. i ,From the above it will be seen that the enlarged teeth 19 and 88 of the. gears 28 and 29 are positioned symmetricallywith relation to a-line a enlarged teeth 19 and 80 are'symmetrical to the line coinciding with the longitudinal'axis of pit- 7 men 8| (and 30) and'passing through the cenv ter of gear 28 and crankboss 9. These enlarged teeth 19 and 80 maybe during assembly filed 011 otherwise machined if desired to'facilitate a mo-re snug fit thereof in' the spaces between these teeth and pinions 26 and 21. Having now described my invention, I claim:

e 1. In windmill driving mechanism, a main frame,.a bored bearing socket therein, alpair of diameter smaller than the interior of the bearing socket to form a space between the hubs and the socket, a bearing filling the space between the bearing socket and the exterior of the said pinion hubs extending into the socket, each of saidhubs being structurally separatefrom each other; each separate pinions, ashaftjea'ch'pinionhaving'a V hub, extending into said bearing'socket but Off a e of said pinions and its hub being fixed to said shaft.

2. In windmill driving mechanism, a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth, a driven gear with teeth not so accurately formed, a crosshead, a pitman between said driven gear and said cross-head, said driven gear having enlarged teeth at such portions of its circumference as will engage the driving gear teeth at the points of reversal of pressure on the pitman whereby to prevent backlash at said points of reversal of pressure.

3. In windmill driving mechanism, a pinion with cut teeth, a driven gear with cast teeth, a cross-head, and pitmans connecting the crosshead with the driven gear, the teeth of the driven gear at those points which engage with the pinion at the time of reversal of pressure on the crosshead being enlarged to snugly fit the space be tween the teeth of. the pinion to prevent backlash when the pressure on the cross-head is reversed at the two ends of its travel.

4. In windmill driving mechanism, a pinion with accurately formed teeth, a driven gear with cast teeth, a cross-head, a pitman connecting the cross-head with the driven gear, the said driven gear having two points of connection for said pitmans, said two points of connection being at different distances from the axis of rotation of said driven gear, the teeth of the driven gear at those points which engage with the pinion teeth at the time of reversal of pressure on the crosshead at the two ends of its stroke being enlarged to snugly fit the space between the teeth of the pinion to prevent backlash when the pressure on the cross-head is reversed, the two enlarged portions of the gear teeth being arranged symmetrically with relation to a line passing through the centers of. said two points of connection and the center of rotation of the driven gear.

5. In windmill driving mechanism, a power shaft, a pair of separate pinions secured to said shaft, said pinions each having a hub portion extending toward and substantially touching a similar hub on the other pinion, said hub portions being structurally separate from each other and fixed to said shaft, a main frame having a bored bearing socket therein, and bearing material between the exterior of said hubs and the interior of said bored bearing socket.

6. In windmill driving mechanism, a pair of pinions each having a hub formed with an end extending toward and substantially touching the end of a similar hub on the other pinion, a gear casing having a bored bearing socket therein, and bearing material between the exterior of said hubs and the interior of said bored bearing socket.

7. In windmill driving mechanism, a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth, a driven gear having teeth not so accurately formed, reciprocating mechanism driven from said driven gear, the driven gear having enlarged teeth at such portions of its circumference as will engage the driving pinion teeth at the points of reversal of pressure of the reciprocating mechanism whereby to prevent backlash at said points of reversal of pressure, the enlarged teeth of one portion of the circumference being substantially degrees from the enlarged teeth of. the other portion of said circumference.

8. In windmill driving mechanism, a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth, a driven gear having the major portion of its teeth not so accurately formed, said driven gear having at two diametrically opposite points of its circumference enlarged teeth to prevent backlash between said pinion and gear when said enlarged teeth engage the accurately formed teeth of the pinion.

9. In windmill construction an enclosed casing containing mechanism for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion and means for preventing shock and noise at the points where the reciprocating parts change their direction of motion, said means comprising a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth and a driven gear having for the major portion of its circumference teeth not so accurately formed, said driven gear having at its circumferential points corresponding to those pointswhen the direction of motion of the reciprocating parts change enlarged teeth to prevent backlash between said pinion and gear.

10. In windmill construction an enclosed casing containing mechanism for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion and means for preventing shock and noise at the points where the reciprocating parts change their directionof motion, said means comprising a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth and a driven gear having for the major portion of its circumference teeth not so accurately formed, said driven gear having at its circumferential points corresponding to those points when the direction of motion of the reciprocating parts changes enlarged teeth to prevent backlash between said pinion and gear,

said circumferential points being diametrically opposite each other.

11. In windmill construction an enclosed casing containing mechanism for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion and means for preventing shock and noise at the points where the reciprocating parts change their direction of motion, said means comprising a driving pinion having accurately formed teeth and a driven gear having for the major portion of its circumference teeth not so accurately formed, said driven gear having at its circumferential points corresponding to those points when the direction of motion of the reciprocating parts changes enlarged teeth to prevent backlash between said pinion and gear, said circumferential points being diametrically opposite each other, a pitman connecting the driven gear with the reciprocating parts, and means for connecting one end of the pitman nearer to or farther away from the center of rotation of the driven gear, so as to vary the length of. movement of the reciprocating parts as desired, the means for connecting the pitman at different distances from the center of the driven gear comprising crank bosses lying in a diameter at right angles to the diameter passing through the centers of the enlarged tooth portions.

DANIEL R. SCHOLES.

v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No; 2,115,286. April 2-6, 1958. DANIEL R. SCHOLES.

It is hereby certified that error appears in'the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: In the grant, lines 2 and 15, name of assignee, for "Aeromotor Company" readAermotor Company, as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same msy conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of July, A. D. 19 8.

Henry Van Arsda-le, (Seal) I Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

